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: wake · net · perch · vault · clip · kick · bat · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — in sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kick — in football
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — for paper

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