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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. firm — a company
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. firm — steady
  15. rock — music
  16. court — of law
  17. firm — decided
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — for sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of a king

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