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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — shares
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — to eat
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. press — to push
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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