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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — a match
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. swing — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. swing — to play on
  10. can — to be able to
  11. spring — of water
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spring — the season
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — in golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — final

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