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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — a line
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chest — a box
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chip — for betting

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