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: bay · coach · charge · scale · chip · band · last · kid

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — in control
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — final
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. charge — electricity
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. charge — a price
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. band — a music group
  24. coach — a trainer

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