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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — clever
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. scale — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ball — a great time
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rush — hurry
  18. board — a committee
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — to get on
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a dance
  24. game — wild animals

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