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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — to protest
  3. roll — a list
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. roll — a cake
  10. land — a country
  11. object — an aim
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. scale — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. land — to come down
  24. lie — an untruth

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