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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. court — of law
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — there
  6. court — for sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. band — a music group
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — a gift
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — army training
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a rubber band

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