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: pound · bay · face · straw · rush · march · snap · game

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. game — wild animals
  7. march — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — to confront
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. march — the month

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