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: net · bat · snap · plane · coach · spring · cabinet · game

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a match
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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