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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — a match
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — to keep track
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fine — all right
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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