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: bowl · squash · tear · chip · content · cold · bass · rest

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rest — a break
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — happy
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tear — from crying
  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