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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cold — not warm
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pop — soda
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. kick — in football
  17. shower — to wash
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitch — completely
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chip — for betting

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