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: rush · fall · pitcher · pound · clip · swing · lash · field

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — farmland
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fall — the season
  24. swing — music

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