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: net · saw · fan · ball · nail · mug · straw · march

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. net — after costs
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. net — for catching
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a dance
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a great time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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