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: kick · land · rush · net · game · club · bass · bound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — a country
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. net — after costs
  6. club — for golf
  7. kick — in football
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — a group
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. land — ground

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