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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — a container
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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