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 · dip · mine · saw · fork · bay · shower · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chip — for betting
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. shower — rain
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mine — for digging
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fork — to eat with

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