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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — for catching
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — in a race

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