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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. roll — a cake
  4. file — a document
  5. object — to protest
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. object — an aim
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — the fruit
  20. object — a thing
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a tool

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