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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. charge — a price
  12. chip — for betting
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. charge — in control
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — after costs
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. snap — to click

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