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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — a line
  19. pound — a weight
  20. chair — a leader
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. field — farmland

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