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: pitcher · race · trunk · land · season · chip · fall · row

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — ground
  4. season — in sport
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. race — a contest
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — to eat
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — a line
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a tree

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