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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — to breed

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