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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. file — a document
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lie — to recline
  24. file — a line of people

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