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: patient · sharp · track · file · leaves · rash · snap · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rash — hasty
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — a series
  23. track — to keep track
  24. sharp — exactly

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