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: lash · shower · clip · bat · race · rest · land · suit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rest — what's left
  7. race — humankind
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — ground
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. suit — to fit
  13. clip — a video
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — rain
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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