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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spell — magic
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. net — after costs
  16. kid — child
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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