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: rule · pit · hand · club · fan · sharp · wake · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rule — a law
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — in cards
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rule — government
  15. pit — in a race
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. club — for golf
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pit — a hole

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