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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. land — to come down
  3. firm — steady
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — a country
  6. firm — a company
  7. game — wild animals
  8. roll — a list
  9. rock — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. land — ground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — decided
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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