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: deal · wind · rock · pop · mine · mate · game · fall

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fall — the season
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mate — a friend
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pop — soda
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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