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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cell — a phone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a match
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. charge — a price
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — in control

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