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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — child
  9. court — of a king
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pound — to hit hard

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