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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — to bend
  20. court — of law
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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