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 · shower · current · straw · nail · wind · hide · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — electric
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — happening now
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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