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: bear · bat · press · stick · mate · straw · nail · chair

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a partner
  3. press — to push
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mate — a friend
  7. press — a publisher
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mate — to breed
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bat — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bear — to put up with

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