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: staff · chip · degree · mouse · lie · march · game · saw

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — temperature
  14. game — a match
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — an amount

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