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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to click
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. file — a line of people
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mark — a trace
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of a tree

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