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: bay · straw · leaves · temple · pitcher · squash · land · fall

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — the season
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. squash — to crush
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — a jug

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