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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. suit — to fit
  3. row — a line
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — to be able to
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. can — a tin
  17. game — a match
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. net — after costs
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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