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: straw · court · mine · toast · kid · wax · bowl · wound

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. wax — to grow
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wound — an injury
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — of a king
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. toast — bread

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