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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. spell — letters
  3. roll — a list
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. squash — the sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — a cup
  16. swing — in golf
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — a short time
  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