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: cue · ground · game · straw · land · foot · fine · present

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ground — a position
  5. present — there
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cue — a signal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ground — the earth
  12. present — the time now
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — a gift
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. foot — a measure

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