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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — a match
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a hint
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. cue — for pool

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