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: chip · net · lash · chair · spring · fork · clip · pit

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chip — for betting
  5. net — after costs
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. clip — a video
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spring — the season
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — in sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fork — in a road

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