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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — for catching
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. march — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — happy
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cold — not warm
  20. net — in sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. march — the month

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