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 116 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: rock · mine · coach · bore · clip · bat · lash · mate

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rock — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. coach — a trainer

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