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: mug · chair · squash · straw · spring · fine · sharp · hide

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — a coil
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mug — a face
  18. fine — all right
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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