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 116 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: board · cap · rash · court · kid · cold · rule · sharp

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rule — government
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cold — not warm
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — a series
  18. court — of a king
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — a hat
  21. board — to get on
  22. kid — child
  23. court — for sport
  24. cold — an illness

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