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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cap — a lid
  5. last — finally
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — final
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. shower — rain
  21. season — of the year
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — to go on
  24. chip — to eat

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