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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — an illness
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cold — not warm
  19. face — to confront
  20. fall — the season
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — on the calendar

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