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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. shower — rain
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mug — a face
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — not warm
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cold — an illness
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. band — a ring

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