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: net · ground · swing · hide · can · coach · cold · squash

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — the sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — a tin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ground — crushed
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. can — to be able to

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