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: hide · chip · land · tear · roll · chest · racket · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chest — a box
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — ground
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. roll — a list
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — of your body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — a cake
  24. racket — for tennis

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