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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — the Cold War

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