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 · chest · prune · rash · coach · charge · deal · pitch

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — to handle
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — a series
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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