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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. capital — money
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. content — the amount
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — a city
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. content — happy
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — of law
  24. calf — a young animal

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