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: mate · rock · bound · chair · lash · net · scale · game

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — to breed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — in sport
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — a stone
  24. game — a kind of play

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