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 a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — for catching
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — in sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. land — a country

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