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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — a video
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fine — all right
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — wild animals

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