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 120 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: lash · drill · race · rash · shower · march · stem · row

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. row — to paddle
  6. race — humankind
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. row — a line
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. drill — army training
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — the month

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