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: pitch · bound · fall · spring · mouse · lash · hand · kick

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — the season
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. mouse — the animal

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