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 116 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: chair · content · lash · rest · wake · tube · spring · suit

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spring — the season
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. suit — in cards

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