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: game · net · mate · snap · file · march · cue · charge

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mate — to breed
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — a match
  9. net — in sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. snap — to click
  12. file — a line of people
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. file — a document
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cue — a signal
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — for pool
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. net — after costs

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