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: coach · race · degree · cabinet · root · bowl · toast · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. toast — bread
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. race — a contest
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — the cause
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. degree — an amount
  21. root — of a plant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. toast — the most admired

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