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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. race — the arms race
  13. dip — to sink
  14. race — humankind
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — wild animals
  17. race — a contest
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hand — help
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — a trace

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