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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chip — to eat
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — to paddle
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fine — all right

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