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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. row — a line
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — a trainer
  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