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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — to crush
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — the sport
  13. roll — a list
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. roll — a cake
  18. spell — magic
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a dance
  24. straw — a straw man

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