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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — a stick
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — magic
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chest — a box
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — a weight
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spell — letters

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