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: pit · land · game · leaves · suit · chest · dip · bass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — the fish
  5. suit — to fit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pit — in a race
  12. suit — clothes
  13. land — to come down
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — low music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — a match
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. pit — a hole
  24. dip — to sink

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