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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — the underground
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. drill — army training
  9. cold — an illness
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spell — letters
  14. tube — a container
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — magic
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. drill — a practice
  20. spell — a short time
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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