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: pitcher · mine · row · straw · trunk · club · track · lie

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. club — for golf
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — to recline
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mine — for digging
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — a song
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — a straw man

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