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: ground · straw · hand · can · bound · net · row · fan

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — in sport
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a line
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — tied together
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — for catching
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. net — after costs
  24. fan — a supporter

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