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: bat · nail · foot · chest · pound · wake · last · lash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. chest — a box
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. last — to go on
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — for baseball

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