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: wind · lash · prune · game · bowl · current · bat · sharp

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. game — a match
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bat — 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