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 · fork · stand · bulb · tube · kid · snap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — to tease
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kid — child
  24. stand — for spectators

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