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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — a thing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — to protest
  14. bat — the animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. object — an aim
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — final
  22. band — a music group
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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