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: drill · land · chip · season · content · file · suit · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — ground
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. file — a document
  18. suit — in cards
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. land — a country
  24. file — a line of people

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