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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — to visit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — a video
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pop — soda
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. track — a song
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — of a tree

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