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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. spring — a coil

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