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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — after costs
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fall — to drop
  5. net — in sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — for catching
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. row — a line
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. clip — a video
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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