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: bark · lash · jam · land · perch · mine · current · net

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. perch — the fish
  3. current — electric
  4. net — in sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. current — of water
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. net — after costs
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — happening now
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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