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: snap · spring · lie · rule · cold · arm · temple · fall

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — a law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cold — not warm
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rule — government
  17. spring — of water
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — the season
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fall — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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