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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. row — a line
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — rain
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — for digging
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cold — not warm
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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