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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. saw — the tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — a match
  14. pound — a weight
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. leaves — of a tree

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