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 · file · ball · season · cell · pitch · lie · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ball — a great time
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a document
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chip — for betting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — in sport

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