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: bowl · bat · leaves · pound · race · wax · toast · court

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bat — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. race — humankind
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. court — of law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. toast — bread
  24. bat — for baseball

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