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: hide · cold · row · bass · straw · rash · deal · craft

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rash — a series
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cold — not warm
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. row — a line

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