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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — the season
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. court — of law
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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