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 120 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: chest · content · wake · stand · net · kid · bass · root

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — a trail
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — a box
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. kid — to tease
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — low music
  18. root — the cause
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — of a word
  24. net — after costs

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