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: racket · hand · march · hide · pop · game · jam · tear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — from crying

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