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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — a position
  4. hand — in cards
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — crushed
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — a tin
  18. chip — for betting
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. game — wild animals
  22. season — of the year
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — help

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