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: mark · deal · rash · chair · lash · clip · lean · net

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. net — for catching
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — hasty
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — after costs
  21. clip — a video
  22. rash — a series
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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