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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of a king
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. suit — clothes
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — help
  19. suit — in cards
  20. court — of law
  21. row — a line
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — a series
  24. row — to paddle

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