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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cue — a signal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — in control
  12. row — a line
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. charge — a price
  15. hand — help
  16. net — in sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — of the year
  22. fine — high quality
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cue — for pool

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