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

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — for catching
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — in sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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