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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fall — the season
  9. rash — a series
  10. snap — to click
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — in sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — for catching
  19. key — in music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — in biology

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