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

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chest — of your body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — the tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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