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 · spell · tube · bat · court · march · track · row

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — of a king
  3. row — a line
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. track — a path
  8. march — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — letters
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. court — of law
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — magic

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