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: swing · game · land · mouse · foot · cabinet · stock · bore

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — a country
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — a measure
  6. game — wild animals
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stock — goods
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bore — to tire

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