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 124 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. game — a match
  24. chip — in a computer

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