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: stock · net · rest · hand · swing · calf · spell · date

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — a short time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stock — shares
  10. date — the fruit
  11. swing — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — a break
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — magic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rest — what's left

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