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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — goods
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chest — a box
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stock — shares
  24. rock — music

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