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: staff · rush · can · cold · wave · deal · bark · straw

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — to be able to
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. can — a tin
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. straw — a straw man

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