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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — certain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. net — for catching
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — help
  23. net — in sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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