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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · net · sharp · fork · row · pop

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — of the year
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. row — a line
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pop — music

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