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: bat · plane · roll · race · key · mine · last · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. race — the arms race
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. roll — a list
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — finally
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. key — in music
  22. race — a contest
  23. plane — a tool
  24. key — for a lock

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