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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spring — the season
  5. land — to come down
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. craft — boats
  8. chip — for betting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fine — all right
  21. land — ground
  22. branch — a division
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — a country

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