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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — to tease
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bark — to shout
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. current — electric
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kid — child
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. wax — to grow
  24. straw — dry grass

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