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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — high quality
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. key — the most important part
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. key — in music
  18. fine — all right

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