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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tube — a container
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tube — the underground
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — to eat
  10. staff — a stick
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chip — for betting
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tube — in a tire

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