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: march · hand · swing · patient · plane · chip · bowl · land

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — help
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. land — a country
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. land — to come down
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — for betting

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