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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — a match
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. dip — a sauce

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