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: straw · march · row · fork · suit · spell · ground · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — letters
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. suit — clothes
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — magic
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. row — a line
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — a position
  20. lie — to recline
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ground — the earth
  23. suit — to fit
  24. march — music

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