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: swing · land · race · fan · chip · cap · root · mine

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. race — a contest
  7. cap — a lid
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — for betting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cap — a hat
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. race — the arms race
  17. swing — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chip — in a computer

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