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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — a country
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — a match
  15. pitch — completely
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. land — ground
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. suit — clothes

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