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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — farmland
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — ground
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — a country
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — for sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — from crying

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