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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — to come down
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — for pool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — boats
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. land — ground
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitch — completely
  24. craft — a handicraft

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