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: straw · temple · bay · coach · sharp · cold · current · mouse

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. current — happening now
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. temple — side of the head

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