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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — letters
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. track — a song
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — to keep track
  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