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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. swing — in golf
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — to breed
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — a trail
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — a country
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. prune — to trim

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