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 · bark · date · pitcher · wind · racket · safe · press

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — moving air

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