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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chest — a box
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — the fruit
  19. roll — a list
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chest — of your body

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