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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — a position
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — to handle
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. net — in sport
  24. arm — part of the body

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