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 116 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: calf · last · mine · tube · game · ground · chip · racket

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. last — final
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. chip — for betting
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — finally

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