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: land · game · field · face · charge · bound · row · wave

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. land — a country
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bound — tied together
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — in control
  11. face — to confront
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. charge — a price
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — farmland
  19. land — ground
  20. field — a subject
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a line
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bound — certain

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