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: root · chip · cold · wax · game · snap · mate · leaves

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mate — a friend
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to click
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — an illness
  20. game — a match
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — of a word
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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