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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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 — a line
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — crushed
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. row — to paddle
  11. root — the cause
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spell — letters
  23. ground — a position
  24. spell — magic

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