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: trunk · chest · chip · squash · content · season · patient · pass

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — of the year
  5. pass — a permit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. content — happy
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chip — to eat
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — a box
  24. content — the amount

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