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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to drill
  5. band — a ring
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — a group
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for golf

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