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: game · clip · court · ground · track · firm · kick · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a song
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ground — crushed
  7. clip — a video
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — to cut
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. game — a match
  12. firm — a company
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. firm — decided
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kick — in football
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a path
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ground — a position
  24. court — of a king

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