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: jam · bat · shower · object · court · cap · wax · cell

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. object — an aim
  6. shower — rain
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. court — for sport
  21. object — a thing
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — of law

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