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: bowl · last · branch · march · coach · game · fan · chip

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. last — final
  4. game — a match
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — wild animals
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. chip — to eat
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — music
  24. branch — of a bank

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