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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — there
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — a country
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — to come down
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — in music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — ground
  24. bat — for baseball

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