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 120 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: race · tear · pitcher · dip · mark · cap · bank · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. net — for catching
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to sink
  14. race — humankind
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bank — of a river
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cap — a hat

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