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: coach · cell · wound · chip · land · spell · stand · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. land — a country
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spell — magic
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pop — to visit

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