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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — finally
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hand — help
  7. last — to go on
  8. game — a match
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. last — final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — newspapers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. present — a gift
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — there
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hand — in cards

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