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: suit · temple · bear · bark · fork · land · game · net

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — clothes
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. suit — in cards
  7. land — to come down
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. game — a match
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — to shout
  19. net — in sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — after costs
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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