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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — the season
  23. cue — a hint
  24. season — in sport

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