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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — for betting
  5. clip — for paper
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. court — of law
  16. land — ground
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — to come down
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — hurry
  23. land — a country
  24. court — of a king

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