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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. cold — an illness
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — a permit
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. straw — dry grass

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