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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — to bend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rock — a stone
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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