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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. last — finally
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — an illness
  7. march — music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lean — thin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. last — to go on
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — to bend
  18. last — final
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mark — a grade

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