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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — in sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — for catching
  17. chest — of your body
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. land — a country

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