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

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. root — the cause
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. court — of a king
  7. deal — to handle
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. court — for sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. net — for catching
  20. rock — a stone
  21. root — of a word
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — of law

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