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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hand — help
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — in cards
  7. land — a country
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. object — a thing
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pound — a weight
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. object — an aim
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — electric
  22. land — ground
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. current — of water

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