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: hide · straw · temple · shower · chip · tube · cold · ruler

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cold — not warm
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chip — to eat
  22. shower — rain
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. tube — a container

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