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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bound — tied together

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