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 116 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: wound · land · race · march · mine · pop · lash · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mug — a face
  8. race — humankind
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pop — music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — a country
  18. march — music
  19. race — a contest
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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