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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — for golf
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. root — the cause
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pop — soda
  23. root — of a word
  24. pop — music

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