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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — the season
  7. firm — decided
  8. last — finally
  9. firm — a company
  10. swing — in golf
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. last — final
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fall — to drop

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