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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. drill — the tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — rain
  13. lean — to bend
  14. drill — army training
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stock — shares
  18. shower — to wash
  19. hand — help
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stock — goods

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