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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — a container
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a music group
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ball — a great time

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