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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — an illness
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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