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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. present — the time now
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bat — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. can — to be able to
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. present — a gift
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — moving air

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