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 120 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: coach · stock · net · field · chip · board · cap · clip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — a video
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — shares
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — for sport
  14. chip — to eat
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a committee
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — for paper
  23. board — to get on
  24. clip — to cut

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