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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pit — in a race
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. land — ground
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. land — a country
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pit — a hole
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cue — a hint

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