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: saw · swing · row · spell · straw · bat · hand · pass

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spell — letters
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spell — magic
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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