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: net · cabinet · fall · lie · kick · lash · cold · stick

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — in sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fall — the season
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — not warm
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. net — after costs
  24. lie — to recline

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