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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rush — hurry
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — wild animals
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — goods
  13. court — for sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — the tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. drill — a practice
  23. court — of a king
  24. stock — shares

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