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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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