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: content · bulb · key · tube · last · wind · straw · present

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — there
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. present — a gift
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. last — finally
  11. tube — the underground
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — happy
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. content — the amount
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — the time now

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