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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — to eat
  5. present — the time now
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chip — for betting
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. charge — in control
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stock — goods
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — there
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mine — an explosive

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