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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mate — to breed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. branch — a division
  7. mate — a friend
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — a partner
  10. net — in sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — help
  16. current — of water
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — happening now
  24. sharp — exactly

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