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: straw · wind · chip · spell · press · degree · arm · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — magic
  10. chip — to eat
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. degree — from a university
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. arm — a part of something

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