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: fan · cold · rash · track · straw · rule · present · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. present — there
  4. kick — in football
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — the time now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a path
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. present — a gift
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rule — government
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rash — a series

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