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: safe · land · band · face · game · squash · wind · row

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a ring
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — to come down
  9. row — a line
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — a country
  16. squash — to crush
  17. row — to paddle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — ground
  22. game — a match
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wind — to turn a key

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