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: net · chest · fork · bear · cap · wake · hand · pitcher

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — help
  24. chest — of your body

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