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: racket · stick · tear · club · cell · last · chip · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — a group
  4. last — final
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. last — finally
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. club — for golf
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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