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: can · land · court · spring · present · cabinet · tear · roll

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — to be able to
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. land — to come down
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — a gift
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. roll — a list
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — a country
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. present — there

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