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: straw · pop · race · tube · snap · lie · can · staff

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to click
  6. race — humankind
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — a stick
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — a container
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lie — to recline

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