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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. toast — bread
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — the season
  24. toast — the most admired

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