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 116 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: field · straw · season · lash · band · bound · shower · kid

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. season — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. shower — rain
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. shower — to wash
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bound — certain
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — child
  19. field — a subject
  20. kid — to tease
  21. band — a music group
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. field — farmland

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