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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. can — to be able to
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mine — for digging
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — not warm
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — a tin
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cold — an illness
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — dry grass

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