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: saw · coach · perch · drill · bat · straw · present · tube

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bat — the animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — the time now
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. present — a gift
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — army training
  19. tube — a container
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. present — there
  24. drill — a practice

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