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: last · fall · track · kid · drill · lash · race · pound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — a song
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — humankind
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kid — child
  9. race — a contest
  10. track — a path
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. drill — the tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — army training
  23. fall — the season
  24. pound — a weight

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