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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stock — goods
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pop — music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. chair — a leader
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pop — soda

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