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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pop — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  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