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: key · spring · craft · cold · wake · straw · current · bear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — in music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. craft — boats
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. craft — a skill
  14. current — electric
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — the season
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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