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 120 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: straw · kid · rule · stock · spell · net · root · season

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — magic
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — of the year
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — letters
  13. root — of a word
  14. spell — a short time
  15. root — of a plant
  16. season — in sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rule — government
  19. net — after costs
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. root — the cause
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kid — child
  24. stock — goods

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