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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kick — in football
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. ground — a position
  24. field — for sport

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