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: bat · lash · pitcher · land · leaves · board · wax · spell

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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