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: wax · straw · hand · capital · sharp · coach · pitcher · foot

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — clever
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — in cards
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — in the ear

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