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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — after costs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — in sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — money
  9. last — finally
  10. track — a song
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. season — of the year
  16. last — final
  17. track — a path
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to click
  21. season — in sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. capital — a city
  24. track — to keep track

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