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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — happy
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to click
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kick — in football
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — with a leg

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