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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · chair · pop · hide · lash · race

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — humankind
  3. march — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — a contest
  8. pop — to visit
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pop — music
  18. lash — to lash out

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