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: mine · charge · nail · kid · cold · mouse · straw · land

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. land — a country
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — to come down
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. charge — in control
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — child
  18. charge — a price
  19. land — ground
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cold — an illness
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — to tease

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