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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · ground · straw · game · bear · mug · shower · bound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — child
  8. shower — rain
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — a face
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — certain
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. game — a kind of play

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