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: root · land · mate · arm · mine · pound · charge · drill

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — a price
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mate — a partner
  6. drill — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — to breed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. land — ground
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. drill — army training
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. root — the cause
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. charge — in control
  24. mine — an explosive

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