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 120 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: season · rule · squash · suit · ground · bound · shower · game

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ground — crushed
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rule — a law
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — a position
  14. game — wild animals
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — certain
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. season — in sport
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bound — obliged
  24. suit — to fit

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