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 120 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: coach · mine · rock · spell · chest · foot · chip · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — finally
  10. spell — magic
  11. chip — for betting
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — a box
  20. last — final
  21. rock — music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spell — a short time

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