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: straw · court · tear · ball · temple · bank · content · wake

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — of law
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. court — for sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — a trail
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. court — of a king
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — to rip
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — of a river
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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