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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. board — a committee
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — the season
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — a hole

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