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: squash · bat · straw · net · fine · saw · rest · lash

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fine — all right

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