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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to click
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. game — a match
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pound — a weight
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — a series

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