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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cold — an illness
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lean — to bend
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ground — a position
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. roll — a cake
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. roll — a list

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