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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. shower — rain
  4. swing — to play on
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — completely
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. swing — music
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bowl — to roll

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