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: rush · spell · kid · roll · mate · pound · straw · court

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pound — a weight
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spell — magic
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. roll — a list
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. spell — letters
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — a cake
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kid — child

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