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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — a series
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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