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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. root — of a word
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ground — the earth
  14. root — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — wild animals
  19. roll — a cake
  20. last — final
  21. ground — crushed
  22. root — the cause
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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