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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's a computer ________________ 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. tear — from crying
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bank — for money
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — to eat
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — in a computer

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