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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — a country
  5. net — for catching
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — ground
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of law
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. net — after costs
  17. court — of a king
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cue — a signal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bore — to tire
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. game — a match

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