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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — to crush
  5. file — a tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. swing — to play on
  18. squash — the sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. file — a document
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. sharp — clever
  24. straw — a straw man

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