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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cell — a phone
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a line of people
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. season — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. net — for catching

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