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. The water is too ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. net — after costs
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. court — of law
  13. season — of the year
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — of a king
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — in sport
  24. mate — to breed

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