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

Word bank: chip · chest · land · rash · pit · plane · date · foot

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — a country
  8. pit — in a race
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chip — for betting
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — a series
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — to come down

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