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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — of law
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — goods
  23. chair — a professorship
  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