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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. net — for catching
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a hole
  11. march — music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a dance

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