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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. swing — in golf
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. toast — bread
  7. mug — a face
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fall — the season
  11. mug — to rob
  12. charge — in control
  13. swing — music
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — for betting
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mug — a cup
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. land — a country

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