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: current · ground · tear · deal · game · cell · bark · swing

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — of water
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tear — from crying
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. current — happening now
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. deal — to handle
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — music
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — a position
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bark — to shout

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