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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. craft — boats
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — to be able to
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fine — all right
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — army training
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fine — high quality
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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