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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. court — of a king
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. season — of the year
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — certain
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bound — obliged

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