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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — the season
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — shares
  14. tear — to rip
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. season — of the year
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — a coil

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