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: hand · scale · kid · net · cell · mug · kick · pass

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — in sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. net — after costs
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. scale — in music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — child
  23. pass — a permit
  24. net — for catching

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