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: file · board · spring · march · lash · dip · snap · date

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a tool
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — music
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spring — the season
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a committee
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. board — a flat piece

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