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: chip · cue · field · game · lash · rush · bay · degree

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cue — a signal
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — hurry
  6. degree — from a university
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — for sport
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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