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: field · wind · chip · club · race · press · dip · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — a contest
  4. press — a publisher
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. race — the arms race
  8. game — a match
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — humankind
  13. club — a group
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — for dancing
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. club — for golf

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