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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — the animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. row — a line
  5. kid — to tease
  6. sharp — clever
  7. deal — to handle
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — to paddle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kid — child
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — a contest

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