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: mug · wound · rash · chip · spring · game · fall · rush

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — a series
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — to rob
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a face

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