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: object · race · net · wake · bass · hide · straw · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — the arms race
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — to protest
  15. wake — a trail
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — a thing
  19. bass — low music
  20. net — for catching
  21. object — an aim
  22. race — a contest
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — dry grass

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