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 120 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: rash · row · game · deal · cold · wind · last · cell

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — finally
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. last — final
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. row — to paddle
  11. game — a match
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — hasty
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cell — a phone
  24. row — a line

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