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: band · lie · cold · mark · row · spring · ruler · shower

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spring — of water
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — the season
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — a coil
  13. row — a line
  14. cold — an illness
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a music group

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