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: pound · board · game · land · degree · wake · bank · pitcher

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — ground
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — a country
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — wild animals
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bank — of a river
  21. board — a committee
  22. pound — a weight
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — a jug

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