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: shower · court · chip · scale · deal · mark · present · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. scale — in music
  4. court — of law
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — a gift
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — to eat
  11. court — of a king
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. present — there
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. court — for sport
  23. roll — a list
  24. chip — in a computer

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