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: spell · key · stem · kick · lash · hand · cell · wind

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kick — in football
  16. key — in music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — help
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. key — for a lock

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