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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to click
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — in sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — a match
  10. net — for catching
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. current — electric
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — a practice
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — of water

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