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 116 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: nail · kid · net · can · spring · wake · clip · rash

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — a coil
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. net — after costs
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. spring — the season
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — a trail

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