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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. snap — to click
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. row — to paddle
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — a straw man

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