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: spell · temple · net · bay · court · wax · clip · wound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. spell — a short time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. court — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — in sport
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spell — magic
  24. net — after costs

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