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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. file — a tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — army training
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. file — a line of people
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bound — obliged
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bound — tied together
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. file — a document

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