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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rash — a series
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mate — to breed
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — the sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — to crush
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. clip — for paper

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