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: lash · arm · file · shower · kick · bass · wake · sharp

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — low music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kick — in football

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