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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — a friend
  5. can — to be able to
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — to breed
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — in music
  13. capital — money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. date — the fruit
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — for weighing

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