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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. game — wild animals
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chip — to eat
  12. capital — money
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. content — the amount
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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