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 124 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chip — for betting
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — to eat
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. club — a group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rash — a series
  20. club — for dancing
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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