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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — a match
  7. bass — low music
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. file — a line of people
  16. capital — money
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. file — a document
  20. net — in sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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