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: band · hand · cap · court · press · kid · pit · bear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — of law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pit — a hole
  8. press — to push
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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