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: board · chip · swing · chest · charge · clip · sharp · saw

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — for paper
  4. board — a committee
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — a price
  10. chest — a box
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chip — to eat
  21. clip — to cut
  22. swing — in golf
  23. board — to get on
  24. chest — of your body

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