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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. key — the most important part
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. key — for a lock
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — hurry
  14. deal — to handle
  15. row — to paddle
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — in music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. band — a ring
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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