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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — the most important part
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ground — a position
  8. content — the amount
  9. ground — the earth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — crushed
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. key — in music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — for a lock
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stock — goods
  24. capital — money

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