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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — letters
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spell — magic
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kick — in football
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fine — all right
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. swing — music
  24. spell — a short time

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