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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. net — after costs
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — a law
  8. board — a committee
  9. file — a document
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rule — government
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. board — to get on
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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