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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. content — happy
  5. row — a line
  6. court — for sport
  7. content — the amount
  8. mug — a face
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — of a king
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — to eat
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mug — a cup
  22. court — of law
  23. cold — not warm
  24. branch — a division

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