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: hide · chip · arm · clip · hand · fork · object · mine

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. clip — a video
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. object — to protest
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — a thing

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