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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — an illness
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — to eat
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mouse — 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