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: roll · bore · wax · vault · pit · face · court · foot

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a hole
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. face — to confront
  13. roll — a list
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. foot — a measure
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — to grow
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. roll — a cake

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