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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — final
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — finally
  24. nail — for a hammer

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