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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. capital — money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — for catching
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tube — a container
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — of the year
  19. capital — a city
  20. net — in sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — in a tire

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