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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cold — not warm
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — shares
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cold — an illness
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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