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: straw · cold · fan · roll · mug · rash · lie · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rash — a series
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mug — a face
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cold — an illness
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a list
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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