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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — in cards
  6. date — the fruit
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — a contest
  17. pop — soda
  18. bank — of a river
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. game — wild animals

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