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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — a trail
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hand — in cards
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. file — a line of people

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