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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pop — to visit
  5. drill — the tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — to come down
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pop — music
  13. land — ground
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — after costs
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. game — a match
  19. land — a country
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — in sport
  24. cue — for pool

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