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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. object — an aim
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — after costs

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