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 · mug · pit · stem · bass · straw · cold · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cold — an illness
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mug — a face
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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