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: clip · rush · net · game · tube · hide · land · bore

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — a video
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. land — ground
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tube — a container
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — a match
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — to cut
  23. tube — the underground
  24. land — a country

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