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 120 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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. swing — to play on
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — in golf
  12. net — in sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. content — happy
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. clip — a video
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — of the sea

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