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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cue — a hint
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — a signal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — farmland
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. scale — in music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — for sport
  24. tear — from crying

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