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: wound · clip · season · march · chip · rock · roll · fork

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. march — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — music
  14. season — in sport
  15. fork — in a road
  16. season — of the year
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. roll — a cake

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