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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. game — a match
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mate — a partner
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — army training
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. present — there
  16. mine — for digging
  17. drill — the tool
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. sharp — clever
  22. present — a gift
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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