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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. file — a line of people
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. last — to go on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. file — a tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. file — a document
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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