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 116 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: tear · straw · lie · wind · key · sharp · stock · cold

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lie — to recline
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. key — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — shares
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — not warm

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