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: bay · shower · straw · bat · temple · scale · fan · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — to wash
  14. scale — in music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — rain
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bat — for baseball
  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