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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chip — for betting
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chip — to eat
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — a country
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — an aircraft

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