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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — boats
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — a break
  6. hand — in cards
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stock — goods
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stock — shares
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. clip — to cut
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — help
  22. row — a line
  23. clip — a video
  24. rest — what's left

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