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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. present — a gift
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — a trail
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. snap — to click
  15. bound — obliged
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — to rip
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pop — soda

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