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: straw · last · degree · roll · mouse · nail · spring · shower

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — of water
  12. last — final
  13. shower — to wash
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — finally
  18. roll — a cake
  19. degree — temperature
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spring — the season
  22. roll — a list
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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