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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — government
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fall — to drop
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. swing — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a music group
  22. cold — an illness
  23. foot — the bottom
  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