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 · fan · kick · ground · bat · squash · net · root

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. net — after costs
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ground — a position
  4. root — the cause
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — for catching
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. root — of a word
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. net — in sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ground — the earth
  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