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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. net — for catching
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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