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 · club · file · key · rash · squash · rule · saw

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a line of people
  9. key — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rash — a series
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — to crush
  19. file — a document
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rule — government

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