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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a list
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chip — to eat
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spring — the season
  11. chip — for betting
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. roll — a cake
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — a tool

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