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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. land — ground
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. court — of law
  9. mine — for digging
  10. land — to come down
  11. drill — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. drill — army training
  14. court — for sport
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — of water
  17. board — a committee
  18. court — of a king
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — a practice
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. land — a country

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