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: march · cue · hand · lash · race · cap · pass · degree

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cue — a hint
  3. race — a contest
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — for pool
  10. race — humankind
  11. cue — a signal
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — 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