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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — for sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. court — of law
  13. pop — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a face
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pop — soda
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hide — animal skin
  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