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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mark — a trace
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — to come down
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kid — child
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — to fit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — of water
  24. suit — in cards

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