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 120 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: club · nail · scale · cold · lash · spring · board · hide

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — the season
  6. scale — in music
  7. board — to get on
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cold — an illness
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — a committee
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — size or range
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. club — for golf

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