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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — a match
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — a trace

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