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: bank · bat · bass · lash · pass · pitcher · stock · root

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stock — goods
  10. root — the cause
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — shares
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bass — low music
  19. root — of a word
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. root — of a plant

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