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: hide · lash · deal · track · chair · cold · plane · wound

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — to handle
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. track — a path
  17. chair — a leader
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cold — an illness
  23. track — a song
  24. deal — an agreement

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