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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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