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 · pitch · lash · cold · net · present · key · arm

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — for catching
  6. present — the time now
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitch — completely
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — there
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. present — a gift
  24. lash — an eyelash

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