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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. cap — a hat
  8. land — ground
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. spring — the season
  18. land — to come down
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — of water
  21. stem — to come from
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a match

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