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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — a country
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to click
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — ground
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tear — to rip
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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