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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — the earth
  6. court — for sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. snap — to click
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ground — a position
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chair — a leader
  24. content — happy

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