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 116 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — a series
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — letters
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spell — magic
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cold — not warm
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a music group
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. staff — a stick
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. staff — employees

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