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 120 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: cabinet · tear · stock · temple · clip · hand · court · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. court — of a king
  5. stock — goods
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — for sport
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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