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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — steady
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. firm — a company
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stem — to come from
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — the vegetable

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