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 116 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: squash · shower · hand · track · lash · file · spell · degree

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. track — a path
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spell — a short time
  6. track — to keep track
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — temperature
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — in cards
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. track — a song
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — the vegetable

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