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 116 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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — happy
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. content — the amount
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. season — of the year

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