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: cell · chest · pit · shower · staff · pitcher · ground · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — in a race
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — of your body
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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