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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. object — an aim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — to cut
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fine — high quality
  24. clip — a video

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