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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chip — to eat
  5. race — a contest
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. club — for dancing
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spring — a coil
  14. club — a group
  15. last — final
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — to go on
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. spring — the season
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — finally
  24. race — humankind

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