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: key · straw · bat · pit · perch · snap · stock · lean

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stock — shares
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stock — goods
  12. key — in music
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — thin
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. key — the most important part

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