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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — help
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — a break

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