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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — after costs
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. row — a line
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — to grow
  13. net — for catching
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. coach — a trainer

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