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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kick — in football
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — money

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