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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — thin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a skill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. craft — a handicraft

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