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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — a match
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. court — of law
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pitch — completely
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wake — before a funeral

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