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: row · present · straw · cap · rash · net · lash · file

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rash — a series
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. present — a gift
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. net — after costs
  10. cap — a hat
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — there
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — the time now
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — hasty
  21. row — a line
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. net — in sport
  24. straw — a straw man

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