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 · mug · stick · mouse · rule · lie · game · bat

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rule — government
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mug — a face
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rule — a law
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rule — to rule out

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