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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. court — of law
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. court — of a king
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — a trail
  24. drill — the tool

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