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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — a box
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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