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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — happy
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. scale — for weighing

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