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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — an illness
  11. track — a song
  12. content — happy
  13. net — in sport
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a path
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. content — the amount
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kid — child
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. content — videos and posts

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