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: bound · lean · shower · cold · bowl · lash · temple · ruler

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lean — thin
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — rain
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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