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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — for sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — farmland
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — a subject
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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