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 · net · wake · pop · season · plane · pit · mine

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chest — a box
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — of the year
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — a hole
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pop — music
  23. net — for catching
  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