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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. roll — a list
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — in sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. net — for catching
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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