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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. file — a document
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — final
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hand — help
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — in cards
  21. file — a line of people
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — a box

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