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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ground — a position
  8. swing — to play on
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. swing — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — a coil
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. spring — the season
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. charge — a price

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