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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — to play on
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — a country
  10. rock — a stone
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — a division
  18. land — ground
  19. rock — music
  20. pop — music
  21. swing — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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