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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — a video
  23. ground — crushed
  24. prune — the fruit

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