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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. object — to protest
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. object — a thing
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — the tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — an aim
  24. saw — the tool

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