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 120 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: court · rash · stick · lean · last · wind · pound · straw

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. court — for sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. court — of law
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. last — final
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of a king
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lean — thin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — a series
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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