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: key · court · firm · bat · ball · kid · clip · stand

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. court — of a king
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ball — a dance
  14. key — for a lock
  15. firm — steady
  16. court — for sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — decided
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — a company
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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