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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. net — after costs
  6. spring — of water
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bank — of a river
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — in sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bass — low music
  20. spell — magic
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — the season
  23. bank — for money
  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