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: land · chair · content · spell · charge · squash · dip · pop

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. land — a country
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chair — a leader
  5. land — ground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. content — happy
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. charge — a price
  24. content — the amount

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