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 · straw · season · degree · net · fine · bear · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fine — high quality
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fine — all right
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. net — after costs
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — for catching
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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