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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — help
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chip — to eat
  9. spell — magic
  10. content — the amount
  11. cold — an illness
  12. spell — a short time
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — happy
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pop — soda
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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