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 116 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: file · hand · straw · pitch · cap · bound · capital · ball

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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 — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cap — a lid
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — obliged
  21. capital — money
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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