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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. shower — rain
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a line
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. field — for sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. field — farmland
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. band — a ring
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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