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 · cold · rush · ball · lean · shower · date · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lean — thin
  24. hide — animal skin

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