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: hand · kick · mug · cold · jam · rest · wind · straw

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — a face
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hand — help
  6. kick — in football
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — a break
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cold — an illness
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hand — in cards
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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