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: chip · cap · land · band · straw · fan · scale · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — ground
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — a country
  6. band — a ring
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — to come down
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a rubber band

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