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: bass · capital · straw · bear · hand · wax · ball · bound

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bass — low music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ball — a round shape

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