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: spring · sharp · bowl · clip · game · wake · branch · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. game — a match
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. branch — a division
  15. spring — of water
  16. clip — to cut
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — for paper
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bowl — a dish

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