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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — to tease
  8. last — finally
  9. mug — a face
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. row — to paddle
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — a line
  19. last — to go on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kid — child
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lash — to lash out

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