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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — in biology
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. net — in sport
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. net — for catching

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