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: face · straw · chest · content · mug · court · fork · bear

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — a face
  3. content — the amount
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — happy
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. court — of law
  24. fork — in a road

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