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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. race — a contest
  3. suit — to fit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. drill — a practice
  7. race — humankind
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spring — the season
  11. rock — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. suit — clothes
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rock — a stone
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — a subject
  20. race — the arms race
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — to move gently

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