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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. row — a line
  19. content — happy
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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