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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — a position
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — crushed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  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