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: chair · staff · kid · pound · shower · rash · lie · fan

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kid — to tease
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — employees
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — to sit on

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