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: deal · rush · lash · mate · toast · trunk · cell · club

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. toast — bread
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — to handle
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — in biology
  24. toast — the most admired

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