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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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