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 120 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: drill · stick · staff · bat · last · calf · lash · row

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a line
  7. drill — army training
  8. staff — employees
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — final
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — to paddle
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — for baseball
  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