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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. chest — a box
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — to handle
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — to wash
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to click
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. shower — rain

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