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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. net — for catching
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rock — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. rash — a series
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — on the skin

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