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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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. fork — to eat with
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chest — a box
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — in a road
  11. last — to go on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spell — letters
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. game — a match
  18. last — final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — magic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. game — wild animals

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