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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a dance
  10. land — to come down
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — army training
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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