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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pop — soda
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pop — music
  8. fine — all right
  9. chest — a box
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — in sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — magic
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chest — of your body
  22. roll — a list
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tear — to rip

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