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: hand · rash · face · game · dip · land · spring · pound

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spring — the season
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. land — ground
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. land — to come down
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — help
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a match
  19. land — a country
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — of water
  24. pound — a weight

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