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: toast · current · land · coach · rule · cell · chip · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cell — a phone
  5. current — happening now
  6. toast — bread
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cell — in biology
  12. current — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — government
  16. ground — a position
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rule — a law
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ground — the earth

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