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: lash · march · spell · cap · drill · spring · deal · rash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — magic
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spring — of water
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. march — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. drill — a practice
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — army training
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spring — the season

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