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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ground — a position
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — crushed
  7. object — an aim
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. object — a thing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. race — a contest
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — the tool

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