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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — after costs
  3. mug — a face
  4. drill — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — a series
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — hasty
  24. net — for catching

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