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: tube · cold · pass · spring · row · shower · lash · bowl

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — a container
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cold — an illness
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spring — the season
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — a dish

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