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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stem — to come from
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. present — the time now
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. present — there
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. present — a gift
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chip — in a computer

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