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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. cue — a signal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. last — finally
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cue — for pool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. swing — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — in music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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