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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. current — happening now
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. current — electric
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. current — of water
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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