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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bass — low music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mug — a face
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rest — a break
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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