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: lean · mine · row · lash · plane · game · shower · season

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a line
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — of the year
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — in sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — rain

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