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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. net — for catching
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — a country
  24. net — in sport

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