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 120 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: cold · pitcher · straw · pop · present · spring · bank · suit

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. present — there
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cold — not warm
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. suit — clothes
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. present — the time now

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