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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — shares
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stock — goods
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mark — a grade
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — child
  24. wound — an injury

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