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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a ring
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — to sink
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. press — a publisher
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mark — a grade
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — a break
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. court — of law
  23. band — a music group
  24. wax — in the ear

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