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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cap — a lid
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cold — an illness
  17. last — final
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ball — a round shape

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