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: shower · racket · fan · tear · cold · ground · hide · suit

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — to wash
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ground — a position
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — an illness
  19. shower — rain
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — a supporter

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