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: shower · bark · bass · net · fan · deal · ball · tube

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. net — in sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — of a tree

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