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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — a committee
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — to get on
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. race — a contest
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kick — in football
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. race — the arms race

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