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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — a weight
  5. land — ground
  6. rock — music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. net — for catching
  9. shower — to wash
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — a grade

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