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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. race — humankind
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — in sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. object — an aim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — a contest
  13. clip — a video
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. object — a thing
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — to tease

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