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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — to come down
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — of a river
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — to handle
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. game — a match
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  24. trunk — of a car

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