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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. last — final
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. suit — to fit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. suit — in cards
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. land — to come down
  18. suit — clothes
  19. swing — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a great time

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