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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — child
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fine — all right
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. current — of water
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. current — electric
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. band — a music group

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