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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. land — ground
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fine — all right
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — to come down
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lash — an eyelash

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