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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lean — thin
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — of ice
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — the animal

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