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: kid · season · chip · object · current · spell · stick · march

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — of the year
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — letters
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — in sport
  11. current — of water
  12. object — to protest
  13. march — the month
  14. current — happening now
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. object — an aim
  17. current — electric
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — magic
  22. march — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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