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: wave · spell · season · game · chest · calf · chip · hand

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spell — magic
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. hand — in cards
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — letters
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — help
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wave — with your hand

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