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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. season — of the year
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kid — child
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a signal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. season — in sport

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