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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. last — to go on
  6. craft — boats
  7. last — finally
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — final
  13. band — a music group
  14. craft — a skill
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a line of people
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ruler — for measuring

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