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: wake · chip · key · straw · dip · chest · squash · club

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. club — a group
  6. key — the most important part
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — for dancing
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for golf
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — to sink

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