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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. net — in sport
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. deal — to handle
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — for catching
  13. chip — to eat
  14. face — to point toward
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. content — the amount
  18. pitch — completely
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — happy
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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