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 120 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: trunk · straw · track · cue · foot · pitcher · game · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — a path
  3. cue — for pool
  4. court — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — a hint
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. foot — a measure
  11. game — wild animals
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — a signal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — a match
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. foot — the bottom

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