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: chest · kid · lie · kick · lash · season · wound · bass

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chest — a box
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bass — low music
  23. kick — in football
  24. season — in sport

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