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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. mug — a face
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mug — to rob
  23. net — for catching
  24. mug — a cup

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