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: hand · rule · mate · bat · shower · rush · hide · wake

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — a law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mate — a friend

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