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: bat · court · lash · net · kid · pass · stem · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bat — the animal
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — government
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — for sport
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kid — child
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of a king
  15. net — in sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. stem — a stem cell

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