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 120 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 · craft · bat · bulb · field · cap · spring · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. field — farmland
  21. spring — of water
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chest — of your body

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