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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · hide · hand · lie · chest · straw · shower · clip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hand — help
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. clip — a video
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — of your body

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