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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — wild animals
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spell — magic
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. race — the arms race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. wax — to grow

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