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 116 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 · snap · clip · fork · fan · bat · pitcher · court

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. snap — to click
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. court — for sport

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