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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — not warm
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — rain
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — hurry
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — to dunk

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