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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to click
  5. rock — music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. shower — to wash
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. file — a document
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. shower — rain
  19. game — a match
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — a sick person

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