ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · cold · lean · suit · wax · snap · fine · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cold — an illness
  5. suit — in cards
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. court — of law
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fine — high quality
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lean — thin
  22. wax — to grow
  23. suit — to fit
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com