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: cap · spring · kick · sharp · staff · lash · wound · chest

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cap — a lid
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — of water
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chest — a box
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — an injury

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