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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — a law
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. saw — the tool

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