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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — goods
  5. stand — to bear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bark — to shout

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