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: mine · spring · bass · chip · cell · tear · pit · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bass — low music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in biology
  16. present — a gift
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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