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

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kid — child
  5. mine — for digging
  6. drill — army training
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. court — of law
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — a practice
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. court — for sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mug — a cup

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