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

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mug — a cup
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mug — to rob
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — for catching
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — the animal

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