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: wake · chest · rash · chip · shower · stem · spell · club

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — for golf
  9. stem — to come from
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — a series
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spell — magic
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chest — a box

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