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: court · pound · straw · swing · pitch · bay · wave · nail

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pound — a weight
  8. swing — in golf
  9. court — for sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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