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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. scale — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. spring — of water
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — music
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — wild animals
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. object — a thing
  24. bowl — to roll

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