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: file · ground · rule · pitcher · chip · spell · court · band

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a music group
  3. spell — letters
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. court — of law
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. rule — a law
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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