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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. suit — clothes
  6. kid — to tease
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — a song
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — to eat
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — child
  20. court — of law
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spring — of water

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