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: temple · track · clip · bat · lash · row · capital · ball

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a path
  5. clip — a video
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. capital — a city
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — a line
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — for paper
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. clip — to cut
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. track — a song
  24. bat — in an idiom

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