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: spring · lie · race · net · sharp · dip · march · rush

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. net — for catching
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — in sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — hurry
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — clever

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