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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. last — finally
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — final
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bound — certain

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