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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — the earth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kid — to tease
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — a path
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. ground — a position
  15. club — for dancing
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — crushed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kid — child
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. track — a song

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