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: mine · tube · lash · net · snap · cap · calf · degree

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. tube — a container
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — of ice
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tube — in a tire

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