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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. net — for catching
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — ministers

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