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: kick · prune · court · lash · squash · swing · rash · rule

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. court — of a king
  3. rash — a series
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — hasty
  18. court — of law
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — in football
  24. swing — music

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