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: band · net · lash · mug · snap · fan · bat · roll

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — in sport
  7. roll — a list
  8. bat — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — after costs
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — for catching
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mug — to rob
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a ring
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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