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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. swing — in golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. drill — a practice
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. cold — an illness
  24. drill — the tool

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