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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — in cards
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fall — the season
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fall — to drop
  23. suit — clothes
  24. fall — to drop

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