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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rock — music
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — to recline

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