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: straw · can · fan · nail · land · clip · cue · hand

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cue — for pool
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. clip — for paper
  20. land — ground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. clip — a video
  23. can — a tin
  24. fan — to cool the 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