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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a great time
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — certain
  7. hand — in cards
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. root — the cause
  13. track — a song
  14. root — of a word
  15. bound — tied together
  16. track — to keep track
  17. staff — a stick
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bound — obliged

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