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 116 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: mine · pop · rest · fan · game · charge · hand · dip

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — for digging
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. charge — in control
  8. rest — what's left
  9. charge — a price
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pop — music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a match
  24. fan — a supporter

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