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: saw · hide · march · rush · wind · coach · lash · spell

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — letters
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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