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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · hand · pitch · pass · cell · bear · land · root

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — a match
  3. root — the cause
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. land — to come down
  7. pass — a permit
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — help
  17. root — of a word
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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