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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — army training
  18. date — the fruit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a match
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — ground

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