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: ground · chip · mark · tube · mine · cap · present · coach

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — a lid
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chip — to eat
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cap — a hat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. present — there
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — the time now
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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