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: present · staff · row · straw · kick · pitcher · squash · content

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — the sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a line
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — a gift
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kick — in football

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