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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chip — to eat
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kid — child
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. game — a match
  14. row — a line
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. present — the time now
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — there
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. foot — part of the body

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