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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — the time now
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. present — there
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — the amount
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — low music
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — an illness
  20. file — a tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — happy
  24. mine — belonging to me

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