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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. roll — a list
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — child
  24. chest — a box

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