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: chip · rash · patient · pit · bat · trunk · spring · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — a hole
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. spring — the season
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — a coil
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rash — a series
  24. chip — in a computer

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