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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bark — to shout
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. craft — boats
  15. row — a line
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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