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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — a container
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a path
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. branch — a division
  24. straw — dry grass

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