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 116 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 · mug · court · vault · cold · bore · fan · chip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chip — for betting
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — ground
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — a country
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — to eat
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. court — of law
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — to come down

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