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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — a trail
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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