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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rush — hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — the season
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. game — a match
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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