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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — magic
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bass — low music
  10. spell — letters
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to click
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cap — a lid
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cap — a hat

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