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 · lash · bowl · fan · wind · bound · rock · kid

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kid — child
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bound — certain
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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