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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. shower — to wash
  3. content — happy
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mark — a trace
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rush — hurry
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — thin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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