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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. net — for catching
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to click
  12. fork — in a road
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mug — a cup
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — the season

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