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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — a country
  7. rash — a series
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. dip — to sink
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. land — ground
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. land — to come down
  21. squash — the sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. bat — the animal

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