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: fan · cold · band · drill · lie · last · sharp · lash

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a ring
  9. cold — not warm
  10. last — final
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — to go on
  16. band — a music group
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — to recline
  24. sharp — with an edge

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