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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cold — not warm
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — a series
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wind — moving air

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