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: cold · rest · lash · content · shower · chest · press · dip

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. chest — a box
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — an illness
  14. dip — to sink
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. press — to push
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — rain
  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