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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — for catching
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — after costs
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — of law
  21. net — in sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. deal — to handle

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