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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. land — ground
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — a match
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — to come down
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. spring — the season
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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