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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — a container
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — to come down
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — a straw man

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