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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. land — a country
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — ground
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. suit — in cards
  11. drill — a practice
  12. net — after costs
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — for digging
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — to come down
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bass — the instrument
  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