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: bass · kick · bat · net · chest · mark · branch · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bat — the animal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — a division
  18. suit — clothes
  19. kick — in football
  20. mark — a trace
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chest — a box
  24. bass — low 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