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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. court — of a king
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — to crush
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. court — for sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — finally
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. court — of law

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