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: lash · wound · bear · rash · toast · squash · wake · fall

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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