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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. board — a committee
  11. bore — to tire
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. snap — to click
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. track — a song
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cold — not warm

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