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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. capital — money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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