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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cue — a hint
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. cue — for pool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mug — a cup
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mug — a face
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cue — a signal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mug — to rob

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