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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · bound · stick · board · straw · bat · lash · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — a stick
  14. board — to get on
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a committee
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bound — obliged
  24. toast — the most admired

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