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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. clip — a video
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stand — to bear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — for catching
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — in sport
  24. march — the month

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