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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. object — to protest
  6. chip — to eat
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spell — magic
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. object — a thing
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. toast — bread
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. object — an aim

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