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: snap · straw · chair · content · stock · bear · row · wax

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. row — a line
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to click
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — the animal

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