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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pass — a permit
  7. file — a document
  8. object — an aim
  9. file — a tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. mug — to rob
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a line of people
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. object — to protest
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mug — a face

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