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 · kid · pop · vault · straw · pound · mug · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. vault — a safe
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pop — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. court — of a king
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pop — soda
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. kid — child
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pound — a weight
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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