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: wave · swing · rush · lash · degree · shower · drill · saw

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — to play on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. swing — music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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