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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. kick — in football
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for dancing
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — low music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — a match
  22. club — for golf
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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