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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mate — to breed
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. last — final
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — finally
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — a friend

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