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 · band · field · lie · mouse · fall · bat · mine

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — a subject
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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