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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — in sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — for catching
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — a country
  16. court — for sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. court — of a king
  20. face — to confront
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — the animal

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