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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cold — not warm
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rule — government
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — a law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — a city
  20. prune — to trim
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spring — of water
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — the season

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