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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. charge — in control
  3. face — part of the head
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to confront
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — electricity
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. land — a country
  12. chip — to eat
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — ground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — a video
  18. charge — a price
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chip — for betting
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — a jug

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