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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. club — a group
  3. hand — help
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cue — a signal
  11. club — for golf
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fork — in a road

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