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: can · land · lash · lie · chip · file · bowl · patient

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. land — a country
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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