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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — after costs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. season — in sport
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — in music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — for catching
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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