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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — for digging
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a match
  16. club — for dancing
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for golf
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. club — a group
  24. nail — on a finger

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