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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. board — a committee
  6. ball — a dance
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ball — a great time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. board — to get on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — to come down
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a flat piece

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