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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — there
  6. spring — the season
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — the sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. present — the time now
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — for catching
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — of water
  20. present — a gift
  21. squash — to crush
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. net — after costs

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