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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — the underground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tube — a container

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