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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — for sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. root — of a word
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — goods
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. court — of a king
  24. kick — with a leg

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