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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. press — to push
  5. key — in music
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. court — of law
  8. chest — of your body
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. court — for sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. press — a publisher
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — of a king
  20. chest — a box
  21. sharp — clever
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. key — for a lock

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