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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. land — a country
  3. court — of law
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. chip — to eat
  16. squash — the sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — in music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — ground

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