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

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cold — an illness
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — the animal

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