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: kid · straw · net · hand · root · present · stand · lean

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — for catching
  3. present — there
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — child
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. present — the time now
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — after costs
  24. stand — on your feet

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