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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — a path
  5. chest — a box
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rock — music
  9. spring — the season
  10. rock — a stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spring — of water
  17. toast — bread
  18. track — to keep track
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. spring — a coil
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rock — to move gently

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