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

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pop — soda
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — to recline
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — a match
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — clever
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — to visit
  24. capital — money

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