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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. net — in sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rest — what's left
  7. race — humankind
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. race — the arms race
  13. net — for catching
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — a contest
  24. branch — a division

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