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: trunk · mate · cold · stick · can · net · straw · press

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. press — newspapers
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — an illness
  6. net — for catching
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — a partner
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mate — to breed
  12. can — to be able to
  13. press — to push
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — not warm
  24. straw — dry grass

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