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: lie · patient · swing · chip · perch · cold · court · pass

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. court — for sport
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. perch — the fish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pass — to spend time

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