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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. key — for a lock
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. squash — to crush
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — an amount
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. key — in music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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