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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. face — to confront
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — in cards
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. face — part of the head
  19. suit — to fit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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