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: pound · straw · bore · clip · game · saw · temple · bat

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — the tool
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bat — 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