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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — a country
  4. fall — the season
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — letters
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spell — magic
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — to drop
  16. game — a match
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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