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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a tool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — army training
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a document
  13. drill — a practice
  14. degree — from a university
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — after costs
  17. firm — decided
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. net — for catching
  24. firm — a company

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