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: rest · can · field · bowl · row · land · game · ball

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rest — a break
  4. row — a line
  5. field — farmland
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — for sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. can — to be able to
  11. row — to paddle
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — a tin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — a subject
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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