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: firm · pass · game · chip · clip · wind · wax · cold

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. game — a match
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cold — an illness
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. firm — decided
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — a video
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pass — to spend time

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