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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — a subject
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — the amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. content — happy
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. field — for sport

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