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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. date — the fruit
  6. roll — a cake
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. scale — in music
  12. roll — a list
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mate — to breed
  21. toast — bread
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — a straw man

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