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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — a law
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bass — low music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. file — a tool
  10. stock — goods
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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