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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. capital — money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — help
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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