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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. file — a document
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. file — a line of people

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