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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. content — happy
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — farmland
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. content — the amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — tied together
  24. row — a line

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