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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — clever
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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