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: cap · mate · press · mine · court · hand · safe · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hand — help
  3. net — in sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — to push
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — a partner
  19. press — a publisher
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cap — a lid
  24. net — for catching

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