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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — for catching
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — child
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. net — after costs
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — in sport
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. date — on the calendar

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