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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — soda
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. net — for catching
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — rain
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — boats
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. racket — for tennis

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