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: cue · wound · bay · race · nail · cold · net · mug

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mug — a face
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. race — humankind
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cue — a signal

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