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: pound · spell · straw · mouse · foot · court · mine · track

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. track — a song
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pound — a weight
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — a short time
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — for digging
  23. straw — a straw man
  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