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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — a thing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — to protest
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — clever
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mug — a face
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — exactly

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