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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lean — to bend
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — child
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lean — thin
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pound — a weight
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fork — a garden 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