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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rock — a stone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — for sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. face — part of the head

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