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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — ground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. court — for sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. court — of law
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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