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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hand — help
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a song
  16. game — a match
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — to keep track

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