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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · degree · race · club · file · object

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. object — to protest
  7. file — a document
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — an aim
  14. file — a line of people
  15. object — a thing
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing

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