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: row · track · lash · fan · rule · wound · spring · arm

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a line
  4. rule — a law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rule — government
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. spring — the season
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spring — of water
  24. row — to paddle

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