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: rash · mug · stock · drill · present · lash · scale · cold

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mug — a face
  3. rash — a series
  4. scale — in music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. present — there
  8. stock — shares
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. drill — army training
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. present — the time now
  16. cold — not warm
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. present — a gift
  24. stock — goods

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