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 · wound · capital · deal · rush · spring · craft · ball

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. capital — money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a great time
  9. craft — a skill
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spring — a coil
  19. craft — boats
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. capital — a city
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rush — hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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