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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — not warm
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bank — for money
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. scale — in music
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cold — an illness
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend 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