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: hide · scale · chair · mine · toast · clip · straw · rule

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. toast — bread
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. clip — to cut
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. clip — a video
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rule — a law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chair — to sit on

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