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: ball · cue · clip · toast · net · fall · foot · chest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — after costs
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — a measure
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. clip — to cut
  11. net — for catching
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — a video
  16. fall — the season
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chest — a box
  21. cue — a hint
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ball — a great time
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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