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: chair · leaves · rash · straw · last · lash · bat · stem

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stem — to come from
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. last — finally
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. last — to go on
  24. leaves — lets stay

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