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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. swing — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. net — for catching
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in biology
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cell — a phone

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