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

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — a law
  15. chip — to eat
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bass — the instrument

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