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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rule — a law
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. file — a tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. file — a document
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rule — government

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