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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bound — certain
  3. roll — a list
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — tied together
  18. land — to come down
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chip — for betting
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — part of the body

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