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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — a break
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — child
  11. mug — to rob
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitch — completely
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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